Glyphland

Monday, June 04, 2007

Baseball of import. So Michigan beat Memphis, then Vandy, then lost to Vandy, and now plays Vandy. This is the sometimes weirdness of NCAA baseball tournaments. Anyway, tonight is a winner-take-all for the Vanderbilt Regional. I would put together a preview, but Colin has already done so with aplomb. Since Vandy is entering its fifth game in four days and Michigan managed to avoid a doubleheader yesterday, they should have a slight advantage in the pitching matchups. Vandy's starter is little-used Tyler Rhoden, who has only one start so far this year. Michigan will send out 6-8 Chris Fetter, who has had a tough year after his stellar 2.22 ERA in 2006. Sounds like both teams will try to get five or six innings out of the starters; Colin threatens the re-appearance of David ace and a half David Price, who went nine innings and 128 pitches Friday. Say it ain't so!

More youtubey stuff. Some video on secondary savior Donovan Warren:

Also there is this McGuffie highlight that hasn't been posted in this space before:

Ok, ok, Harbaugh and such.Interesting response to all the flaming Jim Harbaugh has been doing from recently graduated tackle Reuben Riley, one of the many general studies majors on the team:

"The main thing that went into my decision is that majoring in general studies allowed my schedule to be a lot more flexible," said Riley, a former Creston High School star. "There were more class options, which meant there were fewer constraints as I went between classes and practices." ...

"I don't get Harbaugh's comments," Riley said. "I value his opinion, and he was a great Michigan football player. But if you're going to four years of classes, and doing four years of study, there is no easy way out of the University of Michigan."

The Bachelor of General Studies degree, administered by the College of Literature, Science and Arts, differs from the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in one significant way: In lieu of a foreign language, graduates must complete 60 hours of junior and senior-level classes, though no more than 20 within any single field of study, as part of the 120-hour minimum for graduation.

The broad spectrum of electives and lack of language requirement both appeal to many football players, said Riley, who took French in high school.

"A lot of guys are two or three years removed from the last time they took a foreign language, in 11th or 12th grades, and they just don't want to get involved in it again," he said. "That probably enters into a lot of guys' decisions in taking general studies."

Few other students have a major block of every weekday occupied with something they have to do, and since a lot of majors have key classes that are offered once a year at a particular time, often certain majors become not an option.

Etc.: The first edition of this made the sidebar; the second has been posted; I don't know what to do with either of them. Michigan + LOTR + Photoshop. You have been warned. Dodd had a piece on Michigan that wasn't his usual useless snark about the Aussie thing. There is also a follow-up.